List of Free Online Theology Courses and Learning Materials

Online Theology Courses for Credit

Some schools and faith-based organizations provide free online courses or learning materials related to the study of theology and various faiths. These free offerings don't confer credit for their completion. Students who'd like to use an online course to earn college credit applicable toward a degree program might want to consider Study.com. Each lesson is taught by an experienced instructor and includes video lessons and self-assessment quizzes for a small fee.

Bygone Religions - Instructors introduce theories used to explain the origins of religion. They also provide a history of religion's earliest forms, such as mystery cults, the myths of Babylon and Roman religious practices.

World Religion: Islam - Lessons discuss Islam's founding, the five pillars of the Islamic faith and a brief history of the Ottoman Empire. Characteristics of Islam's various branches and sects are also covered.

World Religion: Judaism - The core beliefs of Judaism, the contents of the Torah and the history of Jewish rituals are among the topics of study in this chapter. Jewish persecution in the Middle Ages is discussed as well.

World Religion: Christianity - Instructors cover Christianity's early ties to Judaism, the ascent of Christianity, schisms between Eastern and Western churches, the Crusades and the Protestant Reformation.

Free Online Non-Credited Theology Courses

Bible.org

Bible.org offers an unaccredited six-course certificate program in theology online intended for lay persons, written by teachers with seminary training. Though the video lectures, PowerPoint presentations, quiz questions and teacher notes are available for free online, students who pay course fees receive interaction with other students and instructors, grades and additional materials. In addition to theology classes, the site provides access to a theology question and answer page, articles on theology and a theology forum. Bible.org claims that the courses aren't affiliated with a particular denomination, though they may reflect a strong evangelical influence.

Bibliology and Hermaneutics focuses on how to interpret the Bible. In addition to interpretation (hermeneutics) issues, the course addresses the historical development of the Bible and questions related to its authority.

Introduction to Theology addresses basic questions about truth from a Christian perspective.

Soteriology refers to the study of salvation. This course examines questions like whether salvation is predetermined.

BiblicalTraining.org

BiblicalTraining.org is a nonprofit organization with the objective of providing accessible educational resources. The 'broadly evangelical' courses aren't associated with any particular Christian tradition or denomination. Free online courses in theology and other topics are available at the general levels of 'discipleship' (directed toward all Christians) or 'leadership' (Sunday school teachers, mission members, church elders and pastors). Most of the training through this website is offered through audio lectures; additional class resources may include visual aids or lecture outlines.

Biblical Theology covers the Old Testament, the New Testament and the writings of Paul. The course examines the organization of the books in the Old Testament and differences between the four gospels, among other topics.

New Testament Theology examines the historical and philosophical underpinnings of the New Testament, looking at the key themes in the gospels and letters of Paul.

Theology of the Reformers covers topics that include Martin Luther, the importance of Augustine in Reformation theology and Calvin's theology.

Theology of World Missions looks at being a missionary from the biblical perspective as well as creating cross-cultural dialogue, among other topics.

The Open University

The Open University in the United Kingdom provides access online to free learning materials used in its distance education courses. These units on religious studies provide printable text-based lessons. These short courses don't address the content from the point of view of any religion or assume that the learner holds a particular set of religious beliefs.

Religion Today: Themes and Issues engages various perspectives on religion as it explores themes and issues, like the tension between historical traditions and change over time in various religions.

Studying Religion is also presented through printable lessons but features video clips of people from Liverpool talking about their individual religious practices and beliefs. This introductory course examines what religion is, perceptions about religion and reasons to study it; a full chapter is devoted to the practice of Hinduism in Calcutta.

Yale University

Offered through Open Yale, these religious studies courses emphasize literary and historical perspectives rather than pursuing theological interpretations of the Bible as holy scripture. The lectures may be accessed as audio files, transcripts or videos. They're also available on YouTube and iTunes. Students have access to syllabi with lists of textbooks to accompany the lectures.

Introduction to the New Testament History and Literature explores the beginnings of Christianity, particularly focusing on differences among the early Christian movements.

Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) emphasizes the historical and cultural contexts of the creation of the Old Testament. Learners study and interpret the Bible, applying theories from various schools of criticism. The midterm exam is available in PDF format.

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The schools in the listing below are not free and may include sponsored content but are popular
choices among our users. Tuition and costs will vary across programs and locations. Be sure to always request tuition information
before starting a program.